15 Greatest Punk Bands of All Time

In this Loud List, we’re counting down our picks for the 15 Greatest Punk Bands of all time!

Along with metal, punk rock is arguably the most important subgenre of music to come out of the ‘70s. The decade was incredibly rich with the raw style thanks to the Stooges kicking off the proto-punk wave with their self-titled album in 1969. As the ‘70s came around, the classics Fun House and Raw Power were unleashed, greatly influencing perhaps the first pure punk band, the Ramones.

Though punk remained fairly underground in the U.S., music from the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash illuminated mainstream culture overseas, most notably in England. Along with the Pistols and Clash, a unique British act called the Buzzcocks would put their spin on punk.

The ‘80s is all about hardcore. A heavily American phenomenon, hardcore punk reached its peak in the ‘80s thanks to Washington D.C. virtuosos like the Bad Brains and Minor Threat. On the other side of the country, the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and the Descendents pioneered the fastest style of aggressive punk.

Even ‘90s and 21st century acts have kept punk alive. Few bands were more influential on the new generation of punk than Green Day during the band’s early years, while Rancid seemingly resurrected gritty punk in the mainstream.

Check out our picks for the 15 Greatest Punk Bands in the video Loud List above!